Built To Survive
by cowbell2011
Summary: Set around Built to Kill, but with a C/S twist.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi guys, here lies my new fic. It's set around Built to Kill at the start of seaosn 7, but for the purposes of this fic, Grissom and Sara are not together. This first chapter will be mostly bits from the actual episode but after this it'll be my own work. I hope you all like it!**

* * *

'Dammit Cath, how many times do we have to have this conversation?'

Sara's fist colliding angrily with the surface of the kitchen table startled Catherine out of her stupor and she stood quickly, her chair sliding noisily backwards on the tile surface.

'I don't know Sara, how many times are you going to cheat on me?'

The words were only spoken in the heat of the moment and Catherine knew it was an exaggeration. Sara had not cheated on her. But in Catherine's opinion, what she was doing was almost as bad. Almost. The silence hung between them as they stared off at each other, neither knowing what to say next. Sara's nostrils were flaring and her cheeks were red from anger. Normally Catherine found her girlfriend incredibly hot when they argued over silly things at work. All that anger directed solely at her...she shivered at the thought before remembering that she was supposed to be mad.

'I have NOT cheated on you Catherine. I am not responsible for Grissom's actions. You're the one who wanted to keep our relationship a secret. Apart from telling him I'm not interested what exactly do you expect me to do? Huh?'

Tears pricked at Catherine's eyes as she thought back to the scene she had walked in on in the locker room earlier that day.

'Well not kissing him would be a start.'

She had tried to keep the emotion out of her voice at that statement but failed miserably as a lone tear began to make its way down her cheek. Movement from across the kitchen table caught her eye and she was surprised to find Sara by her side, the table no longer a barrier between them. When the brunette's hand came up and wiped her tear gently away she leaned into the touch, her anger quickly dissipating.

'He caught me by surprise that's all. I love you Catherine. And only you. But I can't keep having this same argument over and over. I think...I think we need a break.'

The tears were flowing freely from Catherine now and her hands gripped the chair in front of her so tightly the whites of her knuckles became visible. She didn't have the strength to say anything as Sara gathered her purse and keys and left the house silently. At least she managed to wait until the door slammed closed before breaking down completely.

* * *

'So do you think Grissom will show?'

The question from Nick was innocent enough but the mention of her boss's name caused Catherine to tense immediately. She didn't blame Nick, how could she? He didn't know what had happened that day. But she had asked him out tonight in order to forget the day's events and her fight with Sara and it had taken him less than five minutes to remind her of it, albeit unwittingly.

'Not if he thinks he has to dance.'

She impressed even herself with the lack of emotion she revealed in her reply. Of course, turning away from Nick under the pretence of getting a drink from the bar helped as she didn't have to hide the emotion from her face, just her voice. She was saved from any further conversation relating to Grissom when the music started playing and Nick led her to the dance floor. When a young woman caught Nick's eye, she was happy to let the young man dance with her. He was like a little brother to her and it was about time she saw him happy with somebody.

Taking a sip of her drink, she declined politely when the bartender offered her a drink on behalf of a man further down the bar. For a split second she thought she recognised the man. Had he been involved in a case she'd worked recently? Then she dismissed the idea as quickly as it had entered her head. She had worked thousands of cases in her career, there were people everywhere that she had seen whilst working a case. This guy just had a familiar face. Another look down the bar caused Catherine to realise that she wasn't feeling very well. Her head was spinning and her vision was getting blurry. She had only had one drink, she couldn't possibly be drunk. What was wrong?

* * *

When Catherine came to, the first thing she realised was that she was naked. The second thing she realised was that she was not in her own bed. Feeling the coarse sheets underneath her skin, she came to the conclusion she wasn't in Sara's bed either. Trying to remember the events of the previous night only served to confuse her even more. She could remember arriving at the bar with Nick and dancing to the music, but after that everything was just a blur. A horrible feeling settled in the pit of her stomach as the evidence began to stack up. She was in a strange place, naked, and she couldn't remember the previous night. With shaking hands she pulled back the curtain to see where exactly she was. The sign in the car park was one she recognised from a motel off strip, not one she would ever have normally visited.

Fighting down the urge to vomit, she fumbled about with her purse, tipping the contents out onto the dirty bed. Grabbing her phone she flipped it open to find 6 missed calls from Sara.

'Shit. Shit shit shit.'

The symbol in the corner of the display indicated she had a voicemail so she dialled it up and held the device to her ear.

'_Hey Cath...it's me. I came by your place earlier and you weren't there, I guess you've gone out or something. Anyway, what I wanted to say was that I'm sorry. About earlier. And...I think we should talk. I guess I'll see you at work. Bye. I love you.'_

The phone dropped from Catherine's hands and hadn't even hit the bed before the tears started.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This is where my version of events veers of from the actual episode. I hope you all enjoy it.**

* * *

It was a long time before Catherine was able to compose herself. Wiping her eyes, she cast her eye around the motel room she had found herself in, her CSI mind taking over. She grabbed various items from the dingy bathroom and spread them out on the side. It would never stand up in court, but her makeshift SAE kit would be enough to get her the answers she needed. She would deal with the consequences later.

With the evidence collected she shakily undressed and climbed into the shower. The water was blisteringly hot on her skin, almost unbearable, but she needed the heat to wash away the dirt she felt on her skin. Too soon the hot water ran out, and she flinched as cold water hit her skin. Drying off quickly, she redressed having found her clothes strewn across the room haphazardly. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she stared at her phone knowing what she had to do next. It wasn't that she didn't want to speak to Sara. She wanted to make up with her more than anything else. But how on earth was she going to explain this to her? Deciding she would cross that bridge when she came to it, she gently picked up the cell phone. Right now, she needed her girlfriend here with her, whether she would understand or not.

It rang three times before Sara answered and the sound of her girlfriend's voice nearly caused Catherine to drop the phone.

'S-Sara? It's me.'

There was silence on the other end of the line and Cath began to think the connection had been lost before Sara abruptly replied.

'Cath I'm at a scene. I can't do this right now sorry.'

The redhead was a little confused at Sara's attitude towards her. The voicemail she had left the night before had suggested she was ready to talk things through and forget the argument, but her behaviour now suggested something slightly different.

'Sara, please don't be angry. I...'

Catherine tried to begin to explain what had happened t her but Sara was too quick in cutting her off.

'No Cath. I wanted to talk last night but you weren't home and _apparently_ you didn't go home last night because you weren't there when I drove by this morning either. So whatever you have to say can wait.'

The harshness in her girlfriend's voice hurt Catherine. Not only was she implying she had cheated on her, but she wasn't giving her the chance to explain what had really happened. Catherine felt anger rising up inside of her and spoke loudly and firmly into the phone.

'Sara, I need you. Something's happened. Please meet me at the Rising Sun Motel. Please, babe.'

The line was silent and Catherine held her breath as the other woman seemingly mulled over her request.

'Fine.'

The redhead let out her breath in a rush and muttered a thank you before realising the other woman had already hung up. Looking around the room, Catherine felt the sick feeling that had been permanently settled in the pit of her stomach returning. In a matter of minutes, she was going to have to tell her girlfriend what had happened.

* * *

The sight of Catherine as Sara approached the motel car park caused a nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach. The couple had only been dating for a few months but the brunette had known before they even got together that she was in love with the other woman. She cursed her own feelings for betraying her at the sight of the older woman. She was supposed to be mad at her after all. God only knows what her girlfriend had done last night and why she now wanted her to meet her at this seedy motel. If it was to give her a lift home after some sordid one night stand...well Sara wasn't quite sure what she would do.

'OK Cath, I'm here. What do you want from me?'

Sara was all set for an argument. She was ready with a pre prepared set of responses to whatever excuse Catherine could come up with. But when the older woman looked at her and promptly burst into tears, her entire argument flew out the window as she enveloped her girlfriend in a strong hug.

In their awkward embrace, Sara guided Catherine back to her car and seated her sideways in the backseat so that she could kneel between her legs. Bracing her hands on the older woman's knees, she leaned forward and tenderly kissed Catherine's cheek.

'Cath...whatever it is, you can tell me.'

At this point the brunette had absolutely no idea what had transpired in this motel the previous night, but whatever it was it had greatly upset the other woman and she began to feel slightly guilty for thinking her girlfriend had cheated on her. Surely if it was that simple, she wouldn't have called her here only to break down on her? With a shaky breath, the brunette removed her hands from Catherine's knees and placed them on either side of her face, using her thumbs to gently wipe away her tears.

'Catherine, you're scaring me. Please talk to me.'

A few small sniffles later and the redhead seemed ready to talk. She rested her hands on Sara's shoulders and pulled her close. Apparently whatever it was she needed to say couldn't be said to Sara's face. And the words that left Catherine's mouth made the brunette's blood run cold.

'I think...I think I was drugged and...r-raped.'

Every muscle in Sara's body froze and despite every thought in her brain urging her to, she couldn't bring herself to move. It was only when Catherine began pushing her away that she came to her senses.

'It's fine Sara, I knew you wouldn't believe me. I mean I'm only a stripper and a whore right? I must have been asking for it. It was only a matter of time before I cheated on you.'

The redhead had succeeded in pushing Sara backwards so that she was sitting on her feet and was currently trying to extricate herself from between the brunette and the car. However in her emotional state she wasn't having much luck and her struggle gave Sara the opportunity she needed to pull herself together and gather the woman into her arms.

'I don't want to hear you _ever_ talking about yourself like this again do you hear me?'

Her words seemed to get through to Catherine and the woman stopped struggling, instead using the brunette to keep herself upright.

'Babe...we're going to find out what happened alright? I promise you.'

Sara ran her hands up and down Catherine's back in a soothing manner, whispering comforting words into the redhead's ear. The action seemed to work, and Catherine's tears subsided after a while. Pulling back slightly, the brunette caught the older woman's eye and slowly leaned forward to place a short but sweet kiss on the other woman's lips.

'I am so sorry I left you last night. If I hadn't stormed out...'

Looking guiltily at the ground, Sara felt Catherine's shaky hand on her chin, pulling her gaze back up to meet hers.

'Sara...it's not your fault.'

The two women shared a look before the younger CSI noticed for the first time the plastic bag poking out of the top of the redhead's bag. Gesturing to it silently, Catherine took the hint and held the bag out between them.

'I did my own uh...my own rape kit. I couldn't wait for anybody else to get here and process me. I had to shower straight away.'

A lone tear made its way down Catherine's cheek and Sara brushed it away tenderly. She felt her own threatening to escape and took the bag from Catherine, turning and placing it on the back seat of her car as an excuse to subtly wipe away her tears. She needed to be strong for her girlfriend right now, the last thing the redhead needed to see was her breaking down too. Once she felt composed enough to face her girlfriend again, she turned and embraced the other woman tightly.

'We'll fix this baby, I promise. We'll find out what happened. If anybody touched you, I'll kill them.'


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry this has been a while coming guys, busy week! Hope you all like it.**

* * *

Sara waited anxiously for the results of the spermicide test on Catherine's makeshift rape kit. Her stomach was churning and her hands were shaking. She could feel the lab tech's eyes on her and without even hearing what they were saying, she knew they were talking about her. Ever since she had requested the testing be kept off the books, rumours had been sweeping across the lab about the real reason for her secrecy. She was just glad she had sent Catherine home to rest so that she wouldn't have to put up with the staring and murmuring.

'Can't this go any quicker?'

Henry jumped at the harshness in Sara's voice and she felt guilty for a moment. The man did not know the specifics surrounding her presence in his lab and it wasn't fair for her to take it out on him.

'Uh...no. Sorry. It should be done any minute now though.'

Just as he finished speaking, the printer behind him whirred into life and a single piece of paper was produced. With a speed she didn't even know she possessed, Sara practically leapt around the table and snatched the piece of paper away just as Henry was reaching for it. Folding it in half, she stowed it safely inside her CSI vest, sending Henry a weak smile in the process.

'Thanks Henry, I'll go check this in the break room. I left some coffee on to brew.'

The man's expression suggested he didn't believe a word she was saying but the brunette didn't care. She made it to the locker room in record time, taking a seat on one of the benches in the far corner. The piece of paper was retrieved from her vest but she couldn't bring herself to open it. It lay on the bench before her unopened, almost mocking her inability to simply read a set of results. Except they weren't just a set of results. What was printed on that piece of paper could turn both hers and Catherine's worlds upside down in a matter of seconds, and that scared the brunette more than she ever imagined.

'Come on Sidle, do it already.'

Pep talk over, she took a deep breath and reached across the bench to retrieve the paper.

* * *

The house was quiet when she arrived, not that she had expected it to be any other way. Catherine had been fast asleep when she left and one look at her told the brunette she expected her to stay that way for a good few hours. Lindsey was at dance practice too, so the silence of the house was almost overpowering. Sara had wanted to take Catherine back to her own apartment when she met her at the motel but the redhead had been most insistent about going home to her own bed. The brunette hadn't read too much into it. With the emotional state Catherine was in, it was best to let her have what she wanted, and the couple spent most nights at her house anyway. Making her way into the bedroom, she tip-toed to the edge of the bed and gently pulled the covers back. Catherine's sleeping form came into view, her face looking peaceful and unworried. It almost made Sara change her mind about waking her, but she knew that the redhead would want to know what she had learned at the lab.

'Cath...Cath honey wake up.'

The older woman moaned quietly as Sara gently nudged her shoulder before turning over still fast asleep. Sara sighed and pulled the covers all the way back sharply. Climbing onto the bed the brunette lay down beside her girlfriend, wrapping her up in her strong arms and placing a soft kiss on the exposed shoulder closest to her.

'Catherine, wake up baby I'm home.'

The woman turned in her arms, snuggling deeper into the brunette's embrace. Sara felt soft lips on her neck and pulled back slightly to look Catherine in the eye.

'How are you feeling?'

She watched a myriad of emotions play across the redhead's features before she answered, a slight tremor still present in her voice.

'Um, yeah OK I guess. You uh, you have any news?'

Sara pulled Catherine closer to her, kissing the top of her head affectionately.

'It was all negative babe. All of it. It's OK. _You're _OK.'

A sob of relief escaped Catherine's throat as her arms found their way around Sara's waist. They lay there together for a long while, silently enjoying each other's company and the relief that Sara's news had brought. Eventually it was Catherine that broke the silence.

'What do we do now?'

Sara sighed, mulling their options over in her head. They could just drop the whole thing entirely, not pursuing whoever it was that had done this and their reasons for it and forever wondering why it had happened. Or they could dig deeper and potentially open up a can of worms. The brunette knew what choice she would make, but it was her girlfriend that had been most affected by this so she had the right to make the decision.

'I want to find out who did this to you, but if you choose not to, I'll respect your decision.'

Catherine was silent for a while and Sara could tell that she was thinking by the way her brow was furrowed and her bottom lip was trapped between her teeth. Sara thought it was the most adorable sight she had ever seen.

'I think I want to know too. I hate not knowing who, or why.'

Sara nodded, offering the redhead a small smile and caressing her cheek gently with her thumb. Leaning in slowly, she captured Catherine's lips in a loving kiss. The redhead was beginning to respond when suddenly she pulled away, a worried expression on her face.

'Shoot! I'm supposed to be picking Lindsey up from dance practice in 10 minutes. I better get going.'

As the older woman was rushing around the room grabbing various items of clothing Sara watched her from the bed, a look of amusement on her features.

'I'll go get her instead if you like babe?'

Catherine stopped her frantic search for the second shoe to the pair for a moment to peck Sara on the lips.

'No I should go. She was already mad at me for missing the entire thing because I couldn't tell her what happened last night, the least I can do is pick her up.'

Finally Catherine was fully dressed and ready to go. She grabbed her purse off the dresser and was on her way out the door when Sara lurched off the edge of the bed and grabbed her hand, pulling her back onto the sizeable piece of furniture. The action earned a shriek from the redhead and a giggle as Sara tickled her playfully. They rolled around playfully for a few minutes and the brunette was glad to see a smile back on the face of her girlfriend after the previous night's events. Finally Catherine broke free and silenced Sara's protests with a passionate kiss.

'If you let me go now, I'll make it worth your while when I get back.'

The husky tone of Catherine's voice sent shivers down Sara's spine and she promptly let the older woman go, sending her on her way with a sexy smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Catherine eyed her daughter cautiously through the rear view mirror, trying to gauge just how pissed off she actually was. They had spoken few words since the younger Willows had got in the car, and even those exchanges had been fraught and nearly all one way. Catherine was trying her hardest to make conversation, but Lindsey clearly didn't want to play ball. The redhead didn't blame her. It wasn't the first time she had missed an important event in Lindsey's life, not by a long shot. But she had to keep telling herself that her job was important, and it put food in their mouths and a roof over their head. Without it, they would have nothing. She had hoped Lindsey would come to understand this the older she got, but it seemed that Catherine's life as a CSI was only serving to push them even further apart.

With a sigh, Catherine turned the car onto the strip and was pleasantly surprised to find the roads relatively clear. She was about to initiate another attempt at a conversation when her daughter beat her to it, her small voice interrupting from the back of the car.

'I got a solo.'

Cath felt a surge of pride running through her at this news. Although she would never dream of pushing Lindsey into a career that she wanted for her, dancing and acting would be something she would be happy for her daughter to pursue. It was a dream of her own that she had tried and failed to achieve before ending up as an exotic dancer, and she hoped Lindsey would have more success than her.

'You did? That's so great!'

The urge to pull Lindsey into a bear hug was great, but Catherine had to settle for a wide grin through the rear view mirror, pleased when the young Willows returned it. What had started out as a tension filled journey was now beginning to develop into something more pleasant, and Catherine decided there and then that she would make more time for her daughter, starting with telling her about hers and Sara's relationship.

'That's fant...'

The redhead never got to finish her sentence as a huge jolt and the sound of crushing metal cut her off and she was flung forward in the car. The seatbelt could not completely protect her as her head hit the airbag that had deployed from the steering wheel and blinding pain flashed down the side of her face. When the car came to a standstill she looked back quickly, horrified to see Lindsey seemingly unconscious. A dark clothed figure from the other vehicle approached the back door and Catherine as relieved that at least they weren't part of a hit and run, the other driver had stopped to help. She watched as the man reached in to open the rear door and unbuckled Lindsey's seatbelt.

'Is my daughter OK?'

When the man didn't respond, Catherine began to get a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was only then that she noticed a second vehicle stopped behind her, and another man approach her car. She tried in vain to read either of the other vehicles licence plates but was pinned in place and couldn't manoeuvre herself properly to see.

'Lindsey!'

The unknown man had scooped Lindsey up into his arms and was carrying her away towards one of the other cars, causing Catherine to begin panicking. She frantically tried to free herself from her seatbelt but it wouldn't budge, and all she could do was watch helplessly as her daughter was driven away from her.

* * *

Sara leapt from the vehicle before it had even stopped moving and was beside Catherine in the back of the ambulance before Warrick had even opened his door.

'Catherine, are you alright?'

The older woman pulled the brunette towards her into a fierce hug, which Sara returned with just as much emotion.

'They took her Sara. They took Lindsey.'

Sara smooth Catherine's hair down as she sobbed onto her jacket, noting Warrick giving them a strange look as he approached. No doubt she would have to think of a reason to explain their closeness away at a later date.

'It's alright Catherine, we'll find her.'

The brunette leaned back away from her girlfriend to allow the EMT to tend to the wound on her forehead but Catherine was having none of it, flinching away at the first sign of contact.

'I don't need that. I'm fine.'

The young man looked almost scared and Sara shot him a sympathetic look before addressing the redhead.

'Babe, you could have a concussion. You need to...'

This time Catherine snatched the bandage away from the EMT, throwing it behind her into the back of the ambulance.

'I'm refusing treatment, just give me the release form.'

Sara wasn't quick enough to stop Catherine as she began to stalk away but luckily Warrick grabbed her by the shoulders as he approached from where he had been watching the whole scene from a distance. The tall man began to steer Catherine back towards the increasingly frustrated EMT.

'Just give me the damn form!'

Sara and Warrick shared a look as the redhead grabbed the form from the stunned EMT and stalked across the road towards the wreckage that was her car. Following close behind, the brunette stood as close to her lover as she dared with Warrick eyeing them suspiciously.

'We'll find her Cath, I promise.'

The older woman didn't reply with words, instead turning and resting her head on Sara's shoulder, earning them another confused look from Warrick. The brunette knew her colleague better than to assume he would gossip to the others in the lab about what he had seen, but she was definitely going to have to have a conversation with him once this was all over. Resting her hands on Catherine's waist, she pulled the other woman close to her and kissed the top of her head softly as the redhead sobbed despairingly into her shoulder.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry this has been a while coming, I hope you like it. There are bits in here taken from the episode Built to Kill so I suppose I'd better say taht I don't own CSI and its characters, I'm only borrowing them etc etc.**

* * *

Catherine strode purposefully across the casino floor, her target now in sight a few yards away. Sara jogged helplessly after her, not sure what they were doing here but knowing it was bound to end badly either way. She tried to grab Catherine's hand to get her to stop before Sam Braun saw them, but the redhead was too quick for her and slipped just out of her reach. The two of them passed the blackjack table just as a scuffle broke out and as luck would have it, it gave Sara the opportunity to catch Catherine up completely. The brunette placed her body in front of her girlfriend, preventing her from progressing any closer to her father in her current emotional state.

'Cath, you don't want to do this right now, you'll end up saying something you regret.'

The redhead looked at her incredulously, as if Sara had just suggested she jump off the top of the Sears Tower rather than simply take a minute to compose herself.

'That's where you're wrong Sara. I do want to do this. He's got something to do with it, I can feel it.'

Sara sighed and placed her hands on Catherine's shoulders to keep her in place as the older woman once again tried to skirt around her. When her progress was again halted, Catherine became even more agitated and Sara knew she had to do something fast to stop this becoming an ugly public confrontation.

'OK Cath, listen to me. I want to get Lindsey back as much as you do but you need to calm down. If you go over there all guns blazing we won't get a thing out of him. Will you at least let me do the talking?'

Pleading brown eyes met watering blue ones as Sara silently begged Catherine to let her do this her way. The two stared silently at each other for what seemed like an eternity before Catherine nodded and looked glumly at the floor, all the tension leaving her body at once. Sara managed a smile then, and discreetly squeezed one of Catherine's hands in what she hoped was a comforting gesture.

'Come on, let's go kick Daddy's ass huh?'

This drew the first smile of the day from the redhead and she allowed herself to be lead over to Sam, who had noticed the pair and their exchange a few minutes earlier and was now watching them with thinly veiled curiosity.

'Sam. What do you know about who took Lindsey?'

Catherine was amazed at how calm and collected Sara sounded when she began questioning her father. There was no way she would have been able to keep so calm and suddenly she was glad she had let her girlfriend talk her into letting her do all the talking.

'What do _you_ know about it?'

The tiny amount of calmness that Catherine had managed to gain from her girlfriend's presence went flying out the window at Sam's evasive answer and she couldn't help herself from snapping back.

'Who's using us to get to you? This is your granddaughter we're talking about. What do you know?'

The sentence came out louder and a lot more accusatory than she had intended but once again her emotions had boiled to the surface. Sam looked around awkwardly to make sure nobody had heard Catherine's outburst, making eye contact with Sara at the same time. The brunette seemed to get the hint and leaned in to whisper in Catherine's ear.

'Babe please, let me handle this. I'll get him talking I promise.'

Catherine could only watch as Sara turned back to Sam and the two of them resumed their conversation. The sounds of the casino around them seemed to get louder and louder and try as she might, Catherine could not focus on what her father and girlfriend were talking about. Her heart felt like it was about to burst out of her chest and images of Lindsey being pulled from the wreckage of her car kept flashing through her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut to try and get rid of them but it only made things worse, the images now being interspersed with random images of her daughter either dead or severely hurt. It was too much for the redhead to handle and her breathing became heavy and laboured. The walls of the casino felt like they were closing in on her and she needed to get out of there fast.

Opening her eyes, she saw Sara staring at two Polaroid pictures in her hands, a look of shock evident on her face. Sam was holding an empty brown envelope in his hand, the same worried look on his features also. Her panic momentarily forgotten, she closed the small distance between them and leaned over Sara's shoulder to get a good look at the pictures in her hand.

'Oh my God.'

Catherine's legs felt like jelly as she looked at the image of her daughter bound and tied to a chair in obvious distress. She felt Sara's strong arm wrap around her waist to support her as the anger came to the surface once again.

'Where is she? Who has her?'

Even more people looked in their direction this time but the older woman didn't care. She had allowed Sara to question Sam in the hopes that a calm approach would get the information they needed but clearly it wasn't working.

'I swear, I don't know.'

The lack of conviction in Sam's voice only served to infuriate Catherine further and she felt Sara's arms tighten around her as she became increasingly frantic.

'Like Hell! I blame you! I blame you for this!'

The man at least had the good grace to look slightly guilty at the obvious pain in his daughter's eyes and he took a small step backwards to put a little more space between the two of them.

'I never wanted you involve you personally or professionally in any of my business.'

It seemed that nothing Sam said could placate Catherine at this point, and even Sara's calm soothing words in her ear had no effect. She was too far gone emotionally at this point.

'Business? You don't have a business. You're a thug in thousand dollar shoes.'

The slap took everybody by surprise, most of all Sara who let her arms drop from Catherine's waist in shock. Recovering quickly, she pushed Sam hard enough in the chest to cause him to stumble backwards a couple of steps. Immediately his minders were at his side, their twitchy hands resting on their guns. Sam waved them off quickly as Sara approached him again, this time getting right into his face as she spoke slowly and quietly.

'If you _ever_ touch her again, I will kill you. That's a promise. And if anything happens to Lindsey I'm holding you personally responsible. You better hope we find her safe and sound Mr Braun.'

When Sam didn't reply Sara took it as their cue to leave and she turned, taking Catherine by the arm and together the two of them left the casino in silence.


	6. Chapter 6

Catherine ran blindly through the house searching for Lindsey. With every room that she searched that did not contain her daughter she became more and more frightened. In the background she could hear the armed forces clearing the other rooms, as well as Brass shouting for a paramedic. One of the kidnappers had been shot, but the redhead couldn't care less about that at this point. All she wanted to do was find her daughter. She felt rather than saw or heard Sara close on her heels looking with her, something for which she was immensely grateful for. Throughout this ordeal Sara had been her rock and when it was all over she would let her know how much it meant to her.

'Lindsey!'

Catherine skidded to a halt briefly as she finally came across Lindsey bound to a chair in the middle of the back room. Starting up again as quickly as she had stopped, the CSI reached her daughter in a flash, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. The contact was only kept for a few seconds however as she felt her girlfriend tugging her away as Warrick came into view at her side.

'Catherine, don't touch her!'

Sara struggled to hold Catherine back as she tried in vain to get to Lindsey. Wrapping one strong arm around the older woman's neck, she pulled her in close in order to speak calming words into her ear.

'Baby, if we want a conviction you have to let Warrick do it. I know it's hard but it won't take long and then you can touch her. Alright?'

The words did seem to slow down Catherine's flailing as she leaned into her girlfriend's embrace, but her eyes stayed on Lindsey the entire time as Warrick began gently removing the tape from her face. Together they fell to their knees on the hard floor and watched as the young girl was finally free.

'I'm right here Lindsey. Right here. I'm right here.'

Catherine's comforting words seemed to slow down Lindsey's erratic breathing and served to stop her hyperventilating. The final bit of tape was removed by Warrick and the little girl wasted no time in leaping off the chair and into Catherine's arms. Sara momentarily looked uncomfortable at intruding on such an emotional moment and moved to stand but Catherine's left hand immediately shot out at the first sign of movement from the brunette to pull her back down. The three of them huddled on the floor, Brass and Warrick watching them affectionately from the doorway.

'Are they...?'

Brass broke the silence with his query and Warrick knew immediately what he was referring to, a small smile gracing his lips.

'Yeah. Yeah I think they are.'

* * *

'Hi Sam.'

Catherine felt her anger towards her father rising again straight away as soon as she saw him with his arm around a woman that looked even younger than her. However, the thought of Lindsey at home with her sister and Sara's comforting hand on the small of her back caused her anger to fade away as she remembered why she had come to find him in the first place. The older man had noticed Catherine's lingering gaze on his companion, laughing it off with a wry chuckle.

'She doesn't mean a thing. It's all show. Look Muggs, yesterday was...'

Catherine felt her anger rising once more, moving to interrupt Sam before he could feed her anymore lies.

'Just save it. I only came here to tell you to call off your guys.'

The redhead could feel Sara's fingers tracing small circles on her back through the material of her clothing, her girlfriend refraining from speaking to Sam this time. Sam was about to respond to his daughter's statement when he seemed to notice the two women's closeness for the first time. They stood there awkwardly as he assessed the way Catherine seemed to lean into Sara, and Sara's hand still laying protectively on Catherine's back.

'Oh you have _got _to be kidding me. So you're a lesbian now?'

Sara felt her girlfriend tense up beneath her touch at Sam's statement and felt that now was the time for her to become involved in this conversation.

'What she is, is your _daughter _Mr Braun, and you should start acting like it.'

Sam turned his gaze upon her and for the first time since she had known him, she saw dislike for her in his eyes. No doubt it was down to the fact he now knew she was sleeping with his daughter, but she didn't like it and it made her feel distinctly uncomfortable. This man was capable of murder, after all.

'Nobody asked your opinion you dyke. Why don't you run along and leave me and my daughter to it?'

Something snapped inside Catherine then and she stepped forward right into Sam's personal space, jabbing her finger into his chest as she began to shout at him.

'How dare you! Don't you ever speak to her like that again. Sara's been here for me way more than you have...'

Sara tuned out to Catherine's rant as she recognised a man from a case they had worked a few weeks ago approaching them. It only took a moment for her to realise who he was, and when she did she knew immediately that they were in trouble.

'Catherine...'

The brunette tugged on Catherine's sleeve but the redhead was still too busy shouting at Sam to notice.

'...and you've hardly been there for me as a father so what right do you have to judge my life and how I live it? I can't believe you would even dare to...'

The gun in Hirschoff's hand became visible to Sara once he was only a few feet away and it was raised towards the three of them as they stood on the side of the street. Without even thinking Sara grabbed Catherine round the waist and pulled her to the ground. Three shots rang out as the two women and Sam hit the floor. Hirschoff was taken down by Sam's minders immediately and in the quiet that ensued, two CSIs and a casino owner lay motionless on the ground.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This is short and I'm not crazy about it at all I figured better something than nothing. Not long to go with this one now.**

* * *

The normal hustle and bustle of The Strip faded into nothing as people stopped and stared. The only sounds that could be heard were that of the fruit machines still being played inside the Rampart, its customers completely oblivious to what had just occurred outside the front doors. A crowd had begun to gather, huddled in the middle of the road as if too scared to check on the wellbeing of any of the casualties laying a few feet from them. A blood pool had formed around Sam's body, the edge getting closer and closer to the group. His minders seemed in shock, neither moving a muscle except to stare unbelievingly at their boss's blood as it slowly spread across the road. It wasn't until a groan emanated from one of the women that any of the bystanders were shocked into action. A young man in the crowd shouted something about emergency services as he ran to the nearest phone booth.

'Sara...owwwwww. Sara you alright?'

Catherine sat up gingerly, wiping away a trickle of blood that was seeping out of a wound on her forehead. Sara was laid on her front beside her not moving, her arm still wrapped protectively around the redhead from when she had hauled her to the floor. The memory of gunfire suddenly came back to Catherine and she began to panic at Sara's lack of movement.

'Sara, babe wake up.'

With shaking hands she rolled Sara over onto her back and was sickened by the amount of blood that was uncovered. Sara had a gunshot wound in her stomach area and was bleeding profusely.

'Somebody help me. Somebody help...oh my God, Sam!'

In turning to the crowd in her pleas for help, Catherine's eyes fell upon her father a few feet away from them. His eyes were open but from the amount of blood he had already lost, Catherine knew he didn't have long left. The sound of sirens indicated the arrival of the emergency services, and all Catherine could do was watch helplessly with her hands over Sara's wound as the four EMTs made their way through the crowd.

'Please, help her. She's been shot. And my father.'

Two of the men began working quickly on Sam, taking his vitals and getting him loaded onto an ambulance in a matter of minutes. Catherine felt two strong arms pulling her to her feet as the remaining two medics began to work on Sara. She struggled against them, not wanting to be too far away from her girlfriend, until she heard the soothing tone of Warrick's voice in her ear.

'Cath, calm down. Let's get your cut seen to, there's nothing more you can do here.'

Catherine stopped struggling in Warrick's embrace then and nodded faintly as she watched Sara being loaded up into the other ambulance.

'I'm going with her.'

She had one foot in the back of the ambulance when the medic tried to stop her.

'Sorry, no room.'

One stern glare later and the redhead was safely inside the back of the ambulance, holding onto Sara's hand for dear life.

* * *

'Are you the family of Sam Braun?'

Catherine leapt up from the extremely uncomfortable plastic chair in the hospital waiting room and nodded her head. Both movements caused her headache to increase in intensity but at that moment in time she didn't exactly care. It had been two hours since they had arrived at Desert Palm and since then there had been no news whatsoever on either Sam or Sara. The cut on her forehead had been stitched up and she had sent Warrick back to the scene to collect evidence and make sure Hirschoff's body arrived safely at the morgue. It had been a long and nervous wait on her own but now it finally seemed like there was some news.

'I'm Dr Williams, I've been treating your father. He's just come out of surgery now and we've moved him up to the ICU ward. I'm afraid your father lost a lot of blood and there was significant damage to one of his lungs cause by one of the bullets. We had to remove it.'

Catherine slumped back down onto her chair as the doctor's words sunk in. She had been doing this job long enough to know what Sam's injuries meant and how bad they were.

'What about Sara? Sara Sidle? She was brought in at the same time.'

The doctor shifted uneasily at that question, causing the redhead to become even more anxious.

'Are you family?'

'I'm her partner.'

Dr Williams looked shocked for a moment but got over it quickly, coming to sit beside Catherine.

'I can only give out information about patients to immediate family members.'

Catherine clenched her fists in an attempt to ward of the rising anger she felt in her chest. She knew this man was only trying to do his job but his close mindedness was irritating her to no end.

'She doesn't have any _immediate family members_. I'm her family. And we wouldn't be having this discussion if I was a man. So tell me about her condition. _Now.'_

The doctor seemed to ponder this for a moment before finally nodding and taking a deep breath.

'Miss Sidle's liver was damaged by the bullet when it entered her abdomen. We've managed to stabilise her for now and have given her medicine to counteract the effects of the lack of liver function, but...'

Catherine could not stop the sob that escaped her at this news. Dr Williams waited uncomfortably while the redhead composed herself before continuing.

'I'm afraid if Miss Sidle is to survive, she will need a liver transplant in the next couple of days. Now, it doesn't have to be an entire liver, we just take part of a healthy one. There's minimal risk to the donor. If you want to be tested to see if you are a match, I can arrange that.'

It felt like Catherine was in a dream. She couldn't believe this was actually happening. Sara had saved her life, and now her own was hanging by a thread.

'Yes. Please, as soon as possible. And Sam...is he going to survive?'

Catherine almost didn't want to know the answer to that question. Although she and Sam had never been close, it still hurt her to see him so gravely ill.

'Mr Braun is not quite in the clear yet. He's stable, but his brain was deprived of oxygen for quite a while before we could work on him. We need to wait for the results of the brain function tests, but I'm sorry Miss Willows, I'm afraid there's a good possibility that he could be brain dead.'


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This is the last chaptter for this, thank you to everybody who reviewed/followed/favourited/etc.**

* * *

Dr Williams entered the waiting room for a second time with a great deal of trepidation. Not only was this Miss Willows a formidable character, but he also felt some sympathy for her for what she was currently going through. He was pleased to notice that she now had company. This wasn't something that anybody should have to go through alone. Currently she was sat on one of the chairs with her head resting on the shoulders of an African-American man. As soon as the two of them noticed his presence in the room, they stood up and approached him quickly, along with a younger man with spiky blonde hair who had been leaning against the wall in the corner of the room staring blankly out the window.

'Dr Williams. These are colleagues of mine and Sara's. Warrick Brown and Greg Sanders. Do you have any news on my compatibility test? Or my father's brain function test?'

The doctor motioned to the seats beside them, taking one of his own and waiting for the three people to find a suitable seat around him. Delivering bad news was the worst part of his job and no matter how long you did the job it never got any easier. Coughing uneasily, he fiddled with the medical chart in his hands before making eye contact with Catherine.

'Miss Willows I'm afraid you are not compatible for a liver transplant. Now, we can test anybody who is willing so if you're sure she has no family to speak of and your colleagues are willing...'

He trailed off, knowing it had to be these people's decisions to volunteer for the test rather than him suggesting it to them. He needn't have waited long however as the two men nodded eagerly.

'And Sam?'

It was obvious that Catherine was fighting back the tears. To be told that you could not help your partner in their hour of need was obviously a difficult thing, and Catherine seemed to be taking it quite badly.

'Perhaps your colleagues should step out whilst we discuss this?'

Catherine's eyes shot up at this statement and Dr Williams cursed himself for being so obvious. Clearly if it was good news he wouldn't have needed to ask that question.

'No, they can stay. Just tell me, please.'

Warrick placed a strong arm around Catherine's shoulders, pulling her in for a one armed embrace in a show of support.

'We analysed Mr Braun's tests thoroughly. I'm afraid there was no sign of any higher brain function. I'm sorry Miss Willows but your father will never wake up.'

There was a hushed silence in the room as the three CSI's took in this information. Greg and Warrick looked uncomfortable at being present for the news, although both were glad they could be there to support Catherine at this difficult time. The redhead was staring avidly down at her hands, which were resting on her lap but were shaking from the effort of keeping her emotions locked inside.

'Test him.'

The three men in the room looked curiously at the redhead when she spoke. Despite her outward appearance of being on the verge of falling apart, her voice was eerily calm.

'Excuse me?'

Dr Williams was quite sure he knew what Catherine was getting at but needed to be sure just in case.

'Test him. He has an organ donor card in his wallet. If he's compatible he could save Sara.'

Warrick and Greg shared a hopeful look before sandwiching Catherine in a tight hug.

'We're sorry Catherine.'

'Yeah, if you need anything just let us know.'

Catherine looked extremely uncomfortable being in such a close embrace and tried to subtly squeeze out from between the two men.

'Miss Willows...if your father expressed a wish to donate his organs, you know that...well what I mean to say is, we will have to turn off his life support machine.'

Taking a deep breath Catherine stood up, her eyes watering as she faced the doctor.

'I know. I'm ready.'

* * *

'You sure you'll be alright in there on your own Cath?'

Warrick stood beside Catherine outside Sam's room. The two of them stared through the window at him as he lay unconscious on a hospital bed surrounded by all sorts of machines and wires. It was strange to see a man once so powerful in such a weakened condition, and Catherine knew that despite their differences in the past she was doing the right thing now.

'Yeah, thanks. Could you watch over Sara for me while I do this please?'

The young man nodded and left Catherine on her own in the bright white corridor. She could just faintly hear the beeping of the heart monitor from inside the room, causing her stomach to twist nervously. No matter how many times she had seen people in this position it was infinitely harder when it was a member of your own family. She heard rather than saw Dr Williams approach her and nodded her head to let him know she was ready. Following him into the room in silence she took the seat next to Sam's bed and grasped his hand lightly. It was warm to touch but remained limp in her own.

'Hey Sam. I just wanted to say that I know we've never seen eye to eye, but you were there for my mother when it counted so...I guess we'll miss you.'

She kissed her fingers and pressed them to his cheek softly as a solitary tear made its way down her cheek. Turning to Dr Williams, who had been standing back slightly to give them some privacy, she motioned him forward.

'Is he a match for Sara?'

The doctor nodded, handing Catherine a chart containing various medical forms.

'You'll need to sign these before we can perform the transplant. There's also a form there to sign for release of his other viable organs.'

Catherine signed the papers with a shaking hand before handing them back over. She watched as the doctor checked a few things over then fiddled with one of the machines beside Sam's bed before turning and nodding in her direction.

'Whenever you're ready.'

The words just wouldn't seem to leave her mouth so she settled for a small nod instead, indicating that it was time for Dr Williams to turn off the machines. The constant whirring of the ventilator stopped as it was disconnected from the tube in Sam's mouth. Catherine closed her eyes and rested her head on the side of the bed, the only sound she could hear the constant beep of the heart monitor.

* * *

They had been waiting for hours, this time in a different waiting room on the same floor as the operating theatre. Between them they had seen entirely too much of this hospital, particularly on their own personal time. Warrick had already been there when Catherine arrived from seeing Sam and he had pulled her into a hug without needing to say anything. Greg had come up shortly after, accompanied by Nick who he had met at the front door. Together they waited as Sara was operated on, until finally a surgeon that they had not met before poked his head into the room.

'Family of Sara Sidle?'

Catherine shot up nodding her head vigorously.

'How did it go? Is she ok? Can we see her?'

The surgeon chuckled, coming all the way into the room with his hands help up in a calming gesture. Catherine took it as a good sign that he was laughing.

'Woah now. Miss Sidle pulled through; the operation was a success. It'll be a few weeks before we know for sure if the transplant takes and she's completely out of the woods but she's stable for now. She's not awake yet but should be coming around any minute so I can take you to see her for a few minutes.'

The group breathed a collective sigh of relief at the news, the boys slapping each other on the back and each taking a turn to hug Catherine. She gave each of them one last glance before following the surgeon down the corridor to a private room at the end. He held the door open for her and motioned for her to go in.

'You can talk to her, studies show patients can hear their visitors while unconscious. It might help her to wake up quicker.'

The sight of her girlfriend surrounded by even more machines than her father had been took Catherine's breath away. It was only seeing her chest rising and falling underneath the blankets that calmed her slightly as she sat down beside the bed and took Sara's hand in her own.

'Babe can you hear me? I'm so glad that you're alright. I've got so much to tell you that you've missed. Don't ever scare me like that again you hear me?'

Catherine leaned forward in her seat and kissed Sara softly on her cheek. She paused mid air when she thought she felt the brunett'es hand twitch in her own.

'Sara? Can you hear me? Squeeze my hand baby if you can hear me.'

There was a long moment of silence as the redhead stood still, too afraid to move for fear of missing another movement from Sara. When it finally came in the form of the brunette squeezing her hand ever so slightly, Catherine couldn't help but collapse back into the chair, tears of relief staining her cheeks.

'You're going to be ok Sara, you're going to be just fine.'


End file.
